System and Method to Establish and Maintain Conditional Trust by Stating Signal of Distrust

1. A method, comprising: receiving, at a trustee via a computer network, metrics generated by a trustor that represent a pre-defined trust condition between the trustor and the trustee; establishing a trust relationship between the trustee and the trustor via the computer network based on the pre-defined trust condition; while the trust relationship is in force in a currently running state of the trustee and the trustor, comparing the generated metrics to current metrics of the trustee in response to an event detected internally within the trustee that changes the pre-defined trust condition; and issuing a distrust signal via the computer network by the trustee in response to a mismatch between the generated metrics of the trustor and the current metrics of the trustee, wherein the distrust signal indicates to the trustor that the trust relationship is no longer valid.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein comparing the generated metrics to the current metrics occurs in response to an influence.

3. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the influence includes at least one of a software or hardware component change within the trustee.

4. The method according to claim 2 , wherein the influence includes a hardware status change within the trustee.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein comparing the generated metrics to the current metrics occurs at regular time intervals.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein issuing the distrust signal uses a wireless mechanism for distrust signal delivery.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein issuing the distrust signal uses a wired mechanism for distrust signal delivery.

8. The method according to claim 6 , wherein the wireless mechanism includes one of a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) or a Short Message Service (SMS) message.

9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising initially establishing a trust attestation.

10. A trusted computing system, comprising: a trustor terminal coupled to provide a trust condition via a network to define a configuration state; and a trustee terminal coupled to receive the trust condition via the network and coupled to provide attestation of the configuration state to the trustor terminal in order to establish a trust relationship with the trustor terminal, wherein the trustee terminal, while the trust relationship is in force in a currently running state of the trustee terminal and the trustor terminal, detects a current configuration state in response to an event detected internally within the trustee terminal that changes the trust condition and provides a distrust signal via the network when the current configuration state does not match the trusted condition, wherein the distrust signal indicates to the trustor that the trust relationship is no longer valid.

11. The trusted computing system according to claim 10 , wherein the trustee terminal comprises: a computing platform coupled to receive the trust condition; and a current integrity metric generator coupled to receive configuration inputs and coupled to provide the configuration state.

12. The trusted computing system according to claim 11 , wherein the configuration inputs comprise one of a software configuration update, a hardware operation, a software operation, or a hardware status operation.

13. The trusted computing system according to claim 10 , wherein the distrust signal is provided via a wireless connection.

14. The trusted computing system according to claim 10 , wherein the distrust signal is provided via a wire connection.

15. The trusted computing system according to claim 13 , wherein the wireless connection includes one of a Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS), a Short Message Service (SMS), Bluetooth, or Infrared (IR) connection.

16. The trusted computing system according to claim 10 , wherein the trustee terminal includes one of a mobile terminal, laptop computer, personal computer, or server.

17. The trusted computing system according to claim 10 , wherein the trustor terminal includes one of a mobile terminal, laptop computer, personal computer, or server.

18. An apparatus comprising: an interface capable of being coupled to a computing platform configured that receives trust conditions via a network from a trustor that defines a trusted configuration state, wherein the trust conditions are used for establishing a trust relationship between the trustor and a trustee platform via the network; and an information monitor coupled to the interface and configured to monitor configuration and status signals internally generated within the trustee platform that indicate changes the trust condition and, while the trust relationship is in force in a currently running state of the trustee platform and the trustor, to report a configuration state of the trustee platform via the network to the computing platform, wherein the computing platform generates a distrust signal when the configuration state of the trustee platform does not match the trusted configuration state, wherein the distrust signal indicates that the trust relationship is no longer valid.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the apparatus is integrated into a single processor.

20. The apparatus according to claim 18 , wherein the apparatus is distributed between at least two processors.

21. A method comprising: receiving, via a computer network, metrics generated by a trustor that represents a trusted condition between the trustor and a trustee; establishing a conditional trust reference at the trustee via the computer network in response to receiving the metrics generated by the trustor; generating metrics by the trustee according to the conditional trust reference at a trust attestation stage; registering the conditional trust reference at a trusted computing platform within the trustee; establishing a trust relationship between the trustee and the trustor via the computer network based on the conditional trust reference; while the trust relationship is in force in a currently running state of the trustee and the trustor, checking, in response to an event detected internally within the trustee, the trustee generated metrics against current metrics of the trustee according to the conditional trust reference; and issuing a distrust signal via the computer network by the trustee in response to a mismatch between the conditional trust reference and the current metrics of the trustee, wherein the distrust signal indicates to the trustor that the trust relationship is no longer valid.

22. The method according to claim 21 , further comprising registering the trustee generated metrics according to the conditional trust reference.

23. An apparatus comprising: a processor configured with instructions that cause the apparatus to: receive, at the apparatus via a network, metrics generated by a trustor that represent a pre-defined trust condition between the trustor and the apparatus; establish a trust relationship via the network between the apparatus and the trustor based on the pre-defined trust condition; while the trust relationship is in force in a currently running state of the apparatus and the trustor, compare the generated metrics to current metrics of the apparatus in response to an event detected internally within the trustee that changes the pre-defined trust condition; and issue a distrust signal via the network by the apparatus in response to a mismatch between the generated metrics of the trustor and the current metrics of the apparatus, wherein the distrust signal indicates to the trustor that the trust relationship is no longer valid.

24. The apparatus according to claim 23 , wherein comparing the generated metrics to the current metrics occurs in response to an influence occurring at the apparatus.

25. The apparatus according to claim 23 , wherein comparing the generated metrics to the current metrics occurs at regular time intervals.

26. The apparatus according to claim 23 , wherein the apparatus comprises a mobile terminal.

27. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon which are executable by an apparatus for performing: receiving, at the apparatus via a network, metrics generated by a trustor that represent a pre-defined trust condition between the trustor and the apparatus; establishing a trust relationship via the network between the apparatus and the trustor based on the pre-defined trust condition; while the trust relationship is in force in a currently running state of the apparatus and the trustor, comparing the generated metrics to current metrics of the apparatus in response to an event detected internally within the trustee that changes the pre-defined trust condition; and issuing a distrust signal via the network by the apparatus in response to a mismatch between the generated metrics of the trustor and the current metrics of the apparatus, wherein the distrust signal indicates to the trustor that the trust relationship is no longer valid.

28. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 27 , wherein comparing the generated metrics to the current metrics occurs in response to an influence occurring at the apparatus.

29. The computer-readable storage medium according to claim 27 , wherein comparing the generated metrics to the current metrics occurs at regular time intervals.